Mom and Kids

A couple weeks ago was our ward's annual Dads and Kids campout. But JB was super sick. He just didn't think he could do it.  I felt badly for him, and also for the bummed-out boys.  So, the boys and I went to the store, picked out treats (miserly Mary splurged), and set up the tent in our backyard.

We had a Mom and Kids campout!

An extension cord allowed us to watch "Star Wars" on the laptop, and the bathroom was just steps away in the house. That didn't stop my boys from wanting to pee outside because they were "camping." It took some firm admonitions on my part to keep them from just unzipping the tent and letting it fly right there into the grass.

James went back inside to sleep in his crib, because, nope. Wrestling with a 2-year-old in a tent is no fun. In fact, JB wasn't really going to take him to the campout anyway. He's a special soul of a toddler.  It was chilly that night, so Andrew and I cuddled. Rather, I tried to cuddle, he kicked and squirmed.  I woke up with an aching back, Max and Ben woke up smiling and rested like they'd been reclining on goose-down all night.

I must have a short memory, or I'm a sucker, because we did it again last Friday night. But this time, sans snacks. Vacuuming out that tent was....cumbersome.  And I put my foot down, it was time for a change -- so we watched the new "Cinderella" all together in the tent, and the boys liked it! There is hope after all.